High Road/Low Road 02.05.10: Edge Winning The Royal Rumble
Posted by Chad Nevett on 02.05.2010
In this week's edition of the High Road/Low Road, we discuss Edge winning the Royal Rumble. Was this a smart move or did the WWE make the wrong choice? Find out what we think inside.
Welcome back to the High Road/Low Road!
A brief explanation of the column: Sat takes the High Road (positive view) on angles, gimmicks, and other wrestling related "stuff" while Chad Nevett takes the Low Road (negative view).
Results for Ken Anderson In TNA:
High Road: 20%
Low Road: 52%
Both Roads: 28%
Chad Nevett: I thought this would have been a bit more split. But, hey, I'm not too surprised to see Anderson being in TNA go over negatively so far.
Sat: I'm not too surprised with the low roads winning; it seems like people having been souring on Ken Anderson since his debut.
Edge Wins The Royal Rumble
High Road:
I'm writing this before the Royal Rumble and I think that this High Road really helps the winner. There are about five or six wrestlers that are being picked to win and the argument can be made for all of them. I think that whoever wins this Rumble is definitely going to get a huge boost because it means more when you have no idea who is going to win.
Low Road:
Out of the fix or six wrestlers being picked or even pushed by the WWE, how many are ones that people actually want to see win? The WWE was pushing John Cena, Batista, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels, all main eventers that don't need to win the Royal Rumble to find themselves in the main event of WrestleMania and all of whom have previously won Rumbles. While there were many choices, not many of them were exciting or interesting.
High Road:
Having Edge win the Royal Rumble was a smart move because it gave Edge a major victory without him taking a shortcut. You look at all of Edge's world title victories and he won them by taking shortcuts. Edge is now a baby face and baby face do not win by taking shortcuts. So, the Royal Rumble victory gives Edge a victory that he earned and it also helps him become more of a baby face.
Low Road:
Edge returning at number 29 to win the Rumble fits with his heel ‘Ultimate Opportunist' persona more than a face persona. He was flanked on either side by Chris Jericho and Batista, both heels. Not only that, he didn't do much in the Rumble itself, spending most of his time lying on the mat. While not necessarily heel behavior, it also wasn't face behavior.
High Road:
Edge's victory at the Royal Rumble makes the Elimination Chamber that much more intriguing. Edge facing either the Undertaker or Sheamus for their respective world titles does not seem like it will be a WrestleMania match. I think that people are going to be very interested in the Elimination Chamber because we are bound to see one or maybe both titles changing hands.
Low Road:
It makes Elimination Chamber less interesting, because it points to Chris Jericho walking out with the World Heavyweight Championship because the WWE (and everyone else in their right mind) wants to see Edge and Jericho at WrestleMania. It makes for a great WrestleMania match, but also makes Elimination Chamber obvious.
High Road:
Edge's victory at the Royal Rumble has been compared to John Cena's victory in 2008. While it is similar, there are differences between the two victories. First, we had no clue that John Cena was coming back, while there were rumblings that Edge might be coming back. Second, John Cena won from the 30th spot, while Edge won from the 29th spot. Third, and most important, was that John Cena cashed in his title shot early, while Edge is going to wait until WrestleMania.
Low Road:
There isn't much of a difference between spot 29 and spot 30. Cena's surprise return in 2008 is what made Edge returning seem plausible and why so many were predicting it to happen. Also, despite cashing in his shot early in 2008, Cena still main evented WrestleMania. The differences aren't really there, or aren't substantial, at least.
High Road:
The one rumor going around was that it was going to be Chris Jericho and Edge at WrestleMania. With Edge winning the Rumble, it is a possibility that they could face at Elimination Chamber and then Edge would go on to challenge one of the World Champions at WrestleMania.. Or another approach the WWE could take is to have Edge and Chris Jericho face each other for the World Title at WrestleMania.
Low Road:
While I love that idea, it means that outcome of Elimination Chamber is known. Somehow, they need to get Jericho and Edge in a match at WrestleMania and Edge winning the Rumble makes that more difficult. Had Edge just eliminated Jericho in the Rumble, that would have been enough to further their feud. By making a world belt a necessity, it takes some of the suspense out of the next two months.
High Road:
There have been rumors going around that the WWE wants to get Edge on RAW. I think having him win the Royal Rumble and then go to RAW is definitely better than just having him jump brands for no reason at all.
Low Road:
Raw is overloaded with main event talent and Edge still has unfinished business on Smackdown with Jericho. He, and the Undertaker, have been the faces of Smackdown for quite some time and given his in-ring talent, I would rather see him stick on the brand with more actual wrestling.
Simply write "High Road", "Low Road", or "Both Roads" in the comment section.
E-Mails:
These are all of the e-mails that we received this week. We do not respond to the actual e-mail, but the reply to your e-mail will be below.
Sat: The only email was from Terry who emailed just for voting. Let's get on to the comments.
Comments:
Below are the comments for last week's columns and our responses. Every comment will not be included because it makes our lives a lot easier. The comments section was last looked at on Tuesday Evening Pacific Time.
ROH Commish Writes:
High Road.
Kennedy is way more over as a heel than A.J. He is in decent shape and has been packaged quite well.
Fact is, Kennedy is gonna have to succeed in TNA. I don't think WWE will take him back and I think he knows this.
Kennedy will be in title hunt as soon as A.J. loses the belt.
Sat: I think the reason Kennedy is more over as a heel is because the Orlando crowd does not want to boo AJ.
Chad Nevett: I'll give Anderson more credit since he is a decent heel.
ajpunk Writes:
HIGH ROAD. This is the best wrestler Hogan brought to TNA. And even though some shit doesn't make sense at all. During this weeks Impact, ANDERSON was SO entertaining.
Sat: Anderson has definitely been entertaining so far. The key for him is staying healthy.
Chad Nevett: He's entertaining on the mic, less so in the ring.
Qwerty Writes:
I agree with low road but not every post-WWE TNA wrestler gets pushed big with no results. Yes, some have gone to TNA and not had that big of an impact but it's arguable that Tyson Tomko, D'angelo Dinero, Christian, Matt Morgan, etc. all improved in one way or another while at TNA. Give Anderson time and we'll see whether or not he was worth the hype after all.
Sat: Say what you will about TNA, but they have given wrestlers a chance that would not have gotten it in the WWE.
Chad Nevett: I would argue that Anderson is different from the others a little since he was pushed a few times and it didn't work out ever. The others were mostly unappreciated or untested talent that TNA pushed and developed. That's not to say that Anderson won't work out, just that his circumstances are different from previous WWE-to-TNA wrestlers.
Guest#2563 Writes:
Low Road.
I don't think the timing is right. Anderson would have been better off working the indy circuit for a while. (Hulkamania tour does not count.) It would have helped him regain any lost skills and it would have made him hungrier to succeed on the big stage.
Positives:
- Still in the prime years of his career.
- Great charisma.
- Potentially great wrestler.
Negatives:
- He's rusty, so he needs to wrestle more. But if he wrestles a lot more, he'll probably get hurt. If he gets hurt, he'll need time off. If he gets time off, he'll return rusty.
- Ultimately, Hogan wants TNA to be live every Monday, plus house shows. I'm not confident Anderson can remain healthy with that schedule.
Sat: Anderson has not been wrestling since he left the WWE, which I was kind of surprised with.
Chad Nevett: The lighter schedule will make his in-ring development a little slower than ideal. I think he avoided indie promotions for fear of injury. Or, maybe, they didn't want him. Or some other reason. It is surprising since other guys, like Brian Kendrick, have been working the indie circuit once the no-compete clause with the WWE ended.
Anonymous Commentor Writes:
Next time I see Ken, I'm going to beat the shit out of him.
Posted By: Bob Holly (Guest) on January 29, 2010 at 01:57 AM
Me too
Posted By: Randy Orton (Guest) on January 29, 2010 at 05:44 AM
Sat: Not much to say about these comments and they definitely deserve to be included.
Chad Nevett: Well, they do seem to pop up in every article on the site. It wouldn't be 411mania without them...
KanyonKreist Writes:
My instinct was to go Both, because of his underwhelming start... but since they at least had the sense to cast him as a heel - a role in which he has thrived - I'll give it a tenuous High Road.
Sat: I think Anderson being a heel is definitely a good thing and we have the crowd to thank for that.
Chad Nevett: Anderson as a heel is the only way to go.
Low TRUTH Road Writes:
Can someone explain to me how Ken is at fault for Cena tearing his own pec after giving him a hip toss?
Sat: I don't think Anderson is at fault for it either. I think the reason he is blamed for it is because Anderson is awkward in the ring and the feeling is that he took it kind of awkward.
Chad Nevett: It's not his fault, but it does fit into a pattern of Anderson getting injured, his opponents getting injured, and him almost injuring his opponents by not executing moves smoothly. Taken alone, it's not a big deal, but when you put it into the context of his career, it doesn't reflect well on his in-ring safety.
HBK's Smile Writes:
High road. I think that, due to his promo work, he is someone who might be able to draw in WWE viewers. He's young enough that he doesn't have the stigma of being over the hill. There are certainly risks, most notably injury, but there is enough potential to make those risks worth taking.
Sat: This basically is my view on the Ken Anderson situation.
Chad Nevett: I'd agree as well, but shift that to both roads.
lilwayne1 Writes:
Eh, Low Road, ultimately. Unlike a lot of others, I kinda like Anderson a bit. Hr's got charisma and decent wrestling skills.
However, he's just so injury prone and almost lives his gimmick by constantly sticking his foot in his mouth. Plus, I'm just generally tired of TNA becoming WWE Beta version.
Sat: I think we need to see how Anderson does in TNA before we say he is injury prone. If he gets injured in TNA within the year on a simple move, then I will concede the fact that he is injury prone.
Chad Nevett: TNA also doesn't seem to mind people shooting their mouths off as much as the WWE, so Anderson shouldn't have too many problems in that area.
M:-X Writes:
High Road.
The lighter schedule and less corporate environment should let his body heel up better than the WWE schedule.
The guy has character & charisma, and working with some of the guys in TNA could be really good for him.
People can talk about him being "injury prone" all they want, but remember: Angle was looked at as terribly fragile when he debuted and he's actually done really well in TNA.
The whole "well he's no Kurt Angle in the ring" is another argument all together. His body should hold up better in TNA. That just seems obvious.
Plus-- fuck Orton. That guy has caused so much trouble and he is constantly whining and crying about shit ON CAMERA... look what he did to Kofi recently.
Sat: I'll buy the Angle argument. The one thing that I want to say though is that Angle looked totally weird in the pre show interviews for Against All Odds. And yeah, Orton has been causing a lot of problems on camera lately.
Chad Nevett: Guys with injuries have turned it around. My worry about the lighter schedule is that Anderson's in-ring work won't come along quickly enough.
RyanRaze Writes:
Low Road:
Though this all very much depends on perspective. If we're looking from the perspective of Ken Anderson, it's obviously a "High Road".
A) Friend with booker/head of house
B) Light work schedule
C) Paycheck
all of those things are great for Mr. Anderson. I believe the purpose of this is the High/Low Road for us, the wrestling fans.
This is as low on the road as you can possibly get. It's difficult to add on every valid point that's been mentioned, and one that I didn't see if the fact that he will immediately take the place of a younger, more deserved wrestler. TNA's true talent, the "home-grown" wrestlers are the ones who paid their dues during the difficult years in TNA. How are they now replayed when their hard work put the company on the map...they've been relinquished to lesser roles so WWE washouts (And yes, Ken Anderson is absolutely a washout). My undying hope is that all of these old "E" wrestlers have 3 months in the sun, and the TNA originals rise up and over take them.
Knowing this is Hogan, I've elected to continue breathing and not hold out for hope. Ken Anderson offers little more to TNA then solid mic skills, and even then his schtick is old. I watched last night with my girlfriend who said, "I feel like I'm watching a WWE show with all the B team guys". This coming from a casual wrestling fan is NOT GOOD.
One can only hope Ken Anderson uses this time to put over the current talent.
Sat: I don't know, but I don't see the TNA originals being pushed over Ken Anderson. I think Hogan wants him to succeed and he is going to make sure that happens.
Chad Nevett: I think Anderson could fit in well with a lot of the TNA originals the way that D'Angelo Dinero has. I wonder if Anderson had debuted prior to Hogan if people would have the same views on him...
Skip Wellington Writes:
Epic Fail/Low Road.
Hated him in WWE. Hate him now. I'm glad he got canned. I always thought his gimmick was stupid. Repeated your name into a mic.... zzz
And this just gives me another reason to hate TNA. Val Venis and Mr. Anderson... bunch of washed up nobodies from yesteryear.
Wasn't Mr. Anderson a character from Matrix?
Sat: I buy that argument that Val Venis should not be in TNA. I was expecting him to beat Wolfe and thankfully that did not happen.
Chad Nevett: Anderson isn't washed up or from ‘yesteryear.' Lumping him in with some of the other recent acquisitions doesn't work. A better comparison is to D'Angelo Dinero who people don't seem to have too many problems with currently.
The Great Captain Smooth Writes:
Both roads, leaning high. Low, because he does have a history of being in matches where people are hurt. High, because he has a great look, can work the stick, we get to see what he can do against non-WWE talent, and Randy Orton isn't there.(Couldn't resist.)
Sat: The one thing I am thinking is I don't see him having any classic matches with most of the TNA roster. That will be a potential problem.
Chad Nevett: Yeah, definitely. His current in-ring skills don't put him in the main event or delivering fantastic matches. Maybe he'll improve in this different environment. I hope so, because... well, who doesn't want to see great matches?
PK Writes:
Low Road - I have nothing against Ken Anderson and I do think he is pretty entertaining. However, he really is just another star on an incredibly bloated roster. When was the last time we saw Samoa Joe in a meaningful program on TV? Christopher Daniels? How long until Ken fades away again?
Sat: Samoa Joe has not had a meaningful program, but Daniels was in a great program with AJ Styles a few months back.
Chad Nevett: The roster at TNA is bloated and they need to do something about that. I would prefer not using the older guys who can't go in the ring, but I fear that's not what they will do.
JLAJRC Writes:
Both Roads.
It's High because he can work off ring rust, improve his skills, maybe even become a main eventer there. He is very charasmatic. Maybe the WWE will hire him back again someday.
Low Road because of his injury prone status. Also, people seemed to be getting tired of the "Kennedy Kennedy" stuff near the end of his WWE tenure but he's basically just doing it again only using his last name now. He needs to come up with a different character before it gets tiring again.
Sat: I think the Anderson Anderson thing is still okay, but I can understand if people are getting sick of it.
Chad Nevett: I find that part of his promos annoying, only because, when attending a Smackdown taping in 2008, some asshole a few rows up kept shouting "Miiiiiiiiiisteerrrrrrrrrr Kennedy! [Beat] Kennedy!" before the show began. Over and over again. And Kennedy was out injured at the time, I believe, and had been since earlier in the year. So, yeah, because of that one guy, I find the name repeating thing by Anderson annoying as hell.
Your reasons for taking the High Road, Low Road, or Both Roads and suggestions for future High Road/Low Road are welcome at satuncletrunx@gmail.com or in the comment section. Your reply will be included in next week's column.
Cue all the people saying that they 'called it', and it was 'predictable' WWE.
High Road, we all got worked, and it was awesome!
Posted By: True (Guest) on February 04, 2010 at 10:57 PM
high
edge has never won it, and we have not had a repeat winner since 2001.
Posted By: viva (Guest) on February 04, 2010 at 10:58 PM
Big Time Low Road. Simply because Edge has gotten a LIFETIME amount of achievements and titles in a span of 3 or so years. Edge has been pushed down our throats just like Cena has and probably even more so because he is not as over and a comparable draw at heel. Edge gets a pass from the smarks.
Posted By: ROH Commish (Guest) on February 04, 2010 at 11:09 PM
High Road
Cena, HHH, Batista didn't win. Edge is over as a heel or face, nice to see him back.
Posted By: midcard madness (Guest) on February 04, 2010 at 11:21 PM
high road
1) even though a lot of people predicted edge was coming back, there wasn't many who thought he would win the rumble, which made for a surprise and exciting ending.
2) there are now at least 3 people that edge could logically fight at wrestlemania: jericho, sheamus, and christian (since ecw is ending he could possibly get into the smackdown elimination chamber and win the title just like you all think jericho is doing). this builds excitement going into the ppv and makes the ppv a viable purchase.
3) by not having the "predictable" wrestlers win the rumble (cena, hhh, hbk, batista) you can have them focus on their individual feuds for wrestlemania now which will make for a stronger overall card.
4) anything is better than seeing cena win again!
Posted By: BlueDog31 (Guest) on February 04, 2010 at 11:27 PM
High Road
Posted By: Ojj (Guest) on February 04, 2010 at 11:31 PM
Both Roads.While I'm happy with Edge winning it seeing as he never as, he really didn't need the rub from it.Seems now the Rumble wins are just given to guys who have taken a break from the main event scene.I expect Jericho, Big Show or Kane (Long Shot) to win in 2011 with the pattern they have been going the past 4 years.
Posted By: The Gold Standard (Guest) on February 04, 2010 at 11:45 PM
High Road
Edge coming back in the Rumble was mentioned in the same vein as RVD getting a one shot deal and Bret Hart coming out for god knows what reason. Nobody seriously expected Edge to come back and if you say otherwise you are a liar.
Posted By: Guest#3431 (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 12:29 AM
Low Road
Edge hasn't been working and did nothing to deserve the win, while everyone else has been on TV and at house shows every week.
And thanks for the "cue" from one genius, because it was predictable (and yeah, I "called it" in all the Rumble preview comment sections, because I am that awesome). I don't even like Edge, and his whole "surprise appearance and big victory" shtick is getting old.
Posted By: vintage ultimate opportunist! (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 12:31 AM
high road!
Posted By: perry (the blacko rican) (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 12:50 AM
Both Roads.
I like Edge and think it's cool he won the Rumble. Looking forward to seeing who he's going to face at Wrestlemania too. But the reason I didn't consider it a high road is that, as far as surprises go, it wasn't that surprising. That was everyone's prediction for one of the mystery entrants (so much so I figured it wouldn't happened and thought it could be Orton), and big name mystery entrants have a great chance of winning.
I don't know how healed up Edge is, maybe that was the reason for his entry at 29. I'd have put him in earlier if possible, maybe even the one to toss out CM Punk after his repeated eliminations and go on to become not only the winner but the Iron Man of the match.
Posted By: Deathpool (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 02:58 AM
High Road all the way!
Even though he hasnt done anything for some while and he just returned we are now in a era of WWE where the older stars teach the new ones by feuding with them. This could easily set up tag team or triple threat matches where he can work with younger talents and give them some of his charisma in the same time.
Posted By: Guest#0889 (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 05:54 AM
high road but...
i hope for edge vs orton at wrestlemania (i know they are teasing the legacy break up but i'm just sayin')... that would be a trully great main event...the problem with jericho is that he loses cleanly like once every 2 weeks...who would honestly believe he could beat edge though the match would be great....but a match between edge and randy would truly be unpredictable
Posted By: jacob (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 06:06 AM
maybe if john cena didnt take steroids he wouldnt tear his pec while hiptossing someone who's only 230ish pounds
Posted By: Hercules Strongs (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 06:28 AM
High road. Regardless of everything else, it's GREAT to have Edge back. But I'm a total mark for that guy, I admit it. It mixed up the main event for Wrestlemania, which sorely and seriously needed it.
Posted By: luna (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 08:48 AM
Edge is overrated as hell. He's about as useless as Randy Orton, only Orton doesn't look like a bum and he's in shape.
Posted By: Zingy (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 08:48 AM
"Simply because Edge has gotten a LIFETIME amount of achievements and titles in a span of 3 or so years. Edge has been pushed down our throats just like Cena has and probably even more so because he is not as over and a comparable draw at heel. Edge gets a pass from the smarks."
A HIGH ROAD to counter this low: you can clearly see Edge on the verge of tears as he celebrates his Rumble win. Go back to all of Edgess major title wins and you see similar emotion from him. The high road is that Edge loves the wrestling business, gives his all, and is ultimately rewarded for his efforts; the beauty is the way those rewards are given in the exact way to help his persona at any given time.
Posted By: AngryTas (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 10:38 AM
High road.
Edge is a at a level where he can convincingly challenge for a World Title at the Grandaddy of 'em All WITHOUT the result being a forgone conclusion, which is more than I can say for Cena or HHH.
At the same time, Edge is still in a position where he can also benefit from something like a Royal Rumble victory. I don't think he has plateaued yet, in terms of of success, fame or drawing power. That's another reason he was a better pick than, say, Batista (my prediction prior to the PPV), whose career I believe is at its high point right now, with nowhere to go but down.
Posted By: KanyonKreist (Registered) on February 05, 2010 at 10:59 AM
High Road if it leads to him v Jericho for the World Title.
Posted By: jbardo (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 11:08 AM
I'm a fan of Edge, but to me, this is actually a low road.
Two reasons:
One - it really didn't seem like he did anything in the Rumble. He was a late entrant, tossed Jericho, then got hit and laid down for a few minutes. Got back up, hit a move or two, got hit again, and laid down again. I doubt he was in action for than 5 minutes total. Plus - there was no real confrontation at the end with Cena. It wasn't a 6-7 minute "match" with a lot of false teases. It was like any Battle Royal you might see on Superstars.
Two - Headlining Wrestlemania is the payoff for a lot of hard work for the top guys. Orton, Jericho, HBK and especially Cena - have all been busting their asses in the ring for the past year and DESERVE to be in this spotlight.
If Edge isn't ready to go 15 minutes in the ring (and based on his Rumble activity, it appears he may not have been able to), then why are you wasting this "honor" on him. Even if he is - I think the return payoff could have been greater if he would have returned at EC and cost Jericho his shot at the title to set up their match at WM.
Posted By: SpankyHamm (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 11:12 AM
I am going to go high road. Maybe it's because i am an Edge fan. I am going high road because it shakes things up heading into Wrestlemania. We all complain that things are stale and too predictable but this was a pleasant surprise. Edge has proven himself to be on the main event level and so shaking things up by not having the favorites Cena, HBK, or HHH win was nice for once.
Posted By: Kyle (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 11:14 AM
High Road
Posted By: Dan (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 11:53 AM
High Road
Posted By: BPN (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 12:01 PM
I'm going both roads, because while having Edge win the Rumble opens up a lot of creative possibilities for Wrestlemania, it's definitely a bit of lazy booking. When they pulled this with Cena two years ago, it worked much better there than here for a couple of reasons: 1) Cena was literally defying the odds in coming back way earlier from his injury than was typical, while Edge definitely had sufficiently expected recovery time; 2) It was *appropriate* to have Cena win, because his injury derailed a 13-month title reign and resulted in the belt being taken from him without losing it in a match; Edge, on the other hand, was nowhere near the title at the time of his injury. Overall, it definitely feels as though they're just recycling what they did with Cena because they feel some kind of strange obligation to.
Posted By: Texas Kelly (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 12:19 PM
High Road
Edge coming back in the Rumble was mentioned in the same vein as RVD getting a one shot deal and Bret Hart coming out for god knows what reason. Nobody seriously expected Edge to come back and if you say otherwise you are a liar.
Posted By: Guest#3431 (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 12:29 AM
Ha! Your an idiot because I called it, my friedns called it. Hell my mom called it and she isn't even a freduent watcher. I also read many news reports from PWPIX, Pro wrestling news, rajah, and several others that REPORTED that he was coming back as early as two to three weeks before the PPV. So are you callin me and all of them liars too?
Posted By: JoeDan (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 12:28 PM
High Road. I was at the Arena and Edge definitely got the biggest POP of the night! Maybe the people at home didn't hear it because of how loud Edge's music entrance is, but that was what we call a POP. People just love the ultimate opportunist.
Posted By: technicalwrestlersrule (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 01:45 PM
High road, for reasons previously mentioned.
Posted By: HBK's Smile (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 02:46 PM
Both roads. I'm glad Edge is back, I'm glad he has a Royal Rumble win on his resume, and I'm glad that (for the third and arguably forth year running since Undertaker was just about to begin his career renaissance), if it's going to be an already-established and former World champion who wins, it's a returning star rather than someone who's been on TV for months. That said, I'd much rather have seen someone new get the chance. It's difficult to say though who'd be worthy right now on the basis of their standing on Raw or Smackdown. Really, only Sheamus or Kofi would fit the bill, and Sheamus is already champion and Kofi was clearly needed for the Chamber and Money In The Bank matches. I think WWE dug themselves a bit of a hole to be frank, but I'd probably lean towards the high road just because it was fun to watch.
Posted By: Cun\' (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 02:47 PM
Middle road: For me, Jericho/ Edge is a third match on the card match up. It's simply a dissolved tag team. The beef is that Jericho called his injury prone tag partner injury prone and moved on with his life. Sure he said some other nasty things, but was nowhere near harsh enough to justify a world title Wrestelmania main event match. And Jericho's been a joke for the last few months, I wouldn't buy him as a credible champion, and certainly don't want to see him have a meaningless month long reign just so he could lose it to Edge in a match there were many other ways they could have set up.
So I'll go with your other suggestion, Edge using the title to jump ship to RAW, which has its share of downsides too. Basically right now, I'm not overly happy with where they'll be going with this rumble win, but I'll hold off judgement until we see exactly where the cards fall.
Posted By: bh_tafe3 (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 04:12 PM
This concept seems geared toward steering the audience to choose the low road, because it always comes second, worded as a response.
Person A talks
Person B says why person A is wrong
Next point--repeat
It ought to switch the response order for every question, IMO.
That said, I'll go High Road just because Edge busts his ass, is entertaining, and deserves to be in the main event at WrestleMania.
Posted By: Zack (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 04:46 PM
"Out of the fix or six wrestlers being picked or even pushed by the WWE, how many are ones that people actually want to see win?"
Have you actually watched the Rumble?? The crowd sure as hell WANTED Edge to win.
Posted By: Guest#6547 (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 05:08 PM
I see you have not received a comment from me YET, so it's time to make up for that. Anything involving any of those punk jabbronis like Edge being pushed is a FAIL, meaning a Low Road.
Posted By: Paul Roma (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 05:12 PM
High Road because its Fucking EDGE
Posted By: david (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 05:13 PM
Both Roads.
Posted By: Jacob (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 05:43 PM
Both roads, leaning high. Low, because you could have used a Rumble win to build a younger star. High, because he does inject some more freshness to the title picture, people had no idea that he would win, he is credible, and it just goes to show you that ANYTHING can happen in the WWE.
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 06:27 PM
Let me make this very clear for most of you... "Boring" and "Predictable" are not mutually exclusive to each other. It's a fact that many of you seem to forget. Just because a storyline is predictable, doesn't mean it's boring. And just because a storyline is unpredictable, doesn't mean it's that great either (see Vince Russo). While Edge's win was unpredictable, it remains to be seen whether or not it's "good booking". They booked themselves into a corner for the 3rd year in a row. This time they did by trying to be unpredictable (putting the title on Sheamus with no payoff that's going to make anyone happy). Now, they need to be "unpredictable" again, with the Elimination Chamber, to give fans some sort of coherent storyline. I agree with the low road, it's cute that Edge won, but if the goal is to have Edge-Jericho at WrestleMania, why not just have Edge eliminate Jericho, and call it a day. Now if you want that match, you have 3 options... and none of the 3 really do anything in terms of a coherent storyline and payoff... A. You put the belt on Jericho B. You put the belt on Edge or C. You go with the old pussy booking, and make some stupid 3 way match involving the 2 of them, which would take away from the 1 on 1 match that the fans already want to see. The other option is worse yet, and thats Edge somehow gets screwed out of his title shot between now and Mania, which totally takes away from the Royal Rumble victory. This is a prime example of why the WWE needs to have 1 World Champion. Keep it simple for the humanoids, as Bobby the Brain would always say. Being World Champion is pretty much irrelevant now, and it's because there are 2 of them. There was a time and place for having 2 of them, but that has long since past.
Posted By: gwpbrian (Guest) on February 06, 2010 at 01:37 AM
This concept seems geared toward steering the audience to choose the low road, because it always comes second, worded as a response.
Person A talks
Person B says why person A is wrong
Next point--repeat
It ought to switch the response order for every question, IMO.
That said, I'll go High Road just because Edge busts his ass, is entertaining, and deserves to be in the main event at WrestleMania.
Posted By: Zack (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 04:46 PM
Agreed. Not surprising considering 411 and the IWC tends to really push the 'negative' side more than anything else going on. High.
Posted By: WATRYYYY (Guest) on February 06, 2010 at 02:21 AM
High (of course):
It provides a fresh and unpredictible RtWM, which is WAY better than last year's. Now people are excited and don't REALLY know what'll happen next.
The ONLY low road I see (which you guys failed to point out) is that Edge/WWE MAY have pushed his return WAY too quickly. Let's hope he's healed up enough, because if his Tendon injury rears it's head, we could have an issue.
But a great surprise, which will cause suspense for the WM card. So all High Road's around here.
Posted By: PJL (Guest) on February 06, 2010 at 01:55 PM
High Road.
Positives:
- Fun (but not-so-surprising) result
- Crowd popped big
- Creates believable uncertainty on Road to WM
- Consistent with Edge's character
Negatives:
- Didn't elevate anyone new
- Didn't need Edge to win to get match with Jericho.
I've felt for a while now that the Rumble stipulations need to change. There should also be some sort of prize (title shot?) for the guy who lasts the longest and/or eliminates the most opponents.
Posted By: Guest#0455 (Guest) on February 06, 2010 at 04:27 PM
Nobody seriously expected Edge to come back and if you say otherwise you are a liar.
Posted By: Guest#3431 (Guest) on February 05, 2010 at 12:29 AM
See I think what's happening here is that the smarks who actually were surprised at Edge's return are butthurt because they finally didn't know something was going to happen.
Most people who spend time on wrestling websites had a pretty good idea that Edge was returning at the Rumble.
Did we know it 100%? No. But were most of us expecting it to happen? That's a pretty safe bet.
Posted By: Brown Chicken Brown Cow (Guest) on February 06, 2010 at 05:36 PM
High Road, even if it was predictable
Posted By: JLAJRC (Guest) on February 06, 2010 at 06:09 PM
High Road.
Posted By: Guest#9194 (Guest) on February 07, 2010 at 10:58 AM
Low Road
Edge. PMSL.
Posted By: Vince McArsehole (Guest) on February 08, 2010 at 11:41 AM
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